The Republican People’s Party (CHP) revealed that it had received approval from the Syrian regime for a potential meeting between the party’s leader, Özgür Özel, and the regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, in the capital, Damascus.
Burhanettin Bulut, deputy leader of the CHP, announced that the Syrian regime had accepted a meeting with Özel, and that the latter would visit Damascus “as soon as conditions are created.”
https://syrianobserver.com/foreign-actors/turkish-opposition-chp-leader-expresses-willingness-to-mediate-between-erdogan-and-bashar.html
This announcement was made during his appearance on the program Sabah Jadeed on the Turkish opposition channel HalkTV.
Bulut mentioned that they are in contact with the Syrian regime and received a positive response regarding the visit, saying: “Damascus responded to the intention to meet, and now it depends on creating the conditions and determining the place and date of the meeting.”
“We expressed our desire to meet and received a positive response from Damascus. The meeting will take place as soon as conditions are created,” he added.
“Our move encourages Erdogan”
Özel has stated that he could act as a mediator between Erdogan and Assad: “Assad must first be persuaded to sit down at the negotiating table with Turkey. I can convince Assad to sit at the table. The important thing is that Erdogan has an intention to do so.”
“It is clear from Erdogan’s recent statements that our steps here encourage him. This issue is the most pressing problem in Turkey, and the refugee issue is our priority.”
“You have to sit down and talk and reach an agreement with Assad to ensure peace in Syria. The EU must contribute financially, and we must all take responsibility so that refugees return to Syria. Assad will do what he has to do at this point.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
